As an old BBC hand, I can see that it requires fundamental reform if it is to
survive

When I was a BBC Newsnight presenter, the perks included freebie outings to Wimbledon, hosted by the director-general and other senior suits. Once, during a strawberries-and-cream break in the tennis, a producer phoned me. Something had come up. He wanted me to drop whatever I was doing – until he discovered who I was with. Suddenly, the peremptory tones gave way to an apology worthy of Uriah Heep.

The culture of the BBC, then as now, was a strange mixture. At its best there were brilliant, dedicated people at all levels. When I was there, George Entwistle was an able and likeable Newsnight producer. Yet at its worst, the BBC managed to combine ruthless bullying with a sickening degree of deference to those at the top. Word is that not much has changed – certainly not at Newsnight. I am told that the fiasco over the Savile inquiry involved attempts by senior people to undermine the reputations of those involved in making the Newsnight film about Jimmy Savile, which was subsequently pulled by the editor, Peter Rippon.

Newsnight is the subject of an investigation by the former Sky News boss Nick Pollard. Apparently, he is using the Data Protection Act, under which an individual can force an institution to disclose information held about them. With the help of some of the protagonists, Mr Pollard is said to be using this to trawl through BBC emails, which has thrown up some “amazing” material.

There are other signs that the BBC suffers from what is often an intimidating and top-heavy culture. Last month, the corporation had the results of a staff survey. Ninety per cent said they were proud to work there, but fewer than 60 per cent would recommend it to family or friends. They felt they did not have enough support from senior people and there was discontent about pay and management-speak.

“They cut resources for journalists but not for people at the top,” said one insider. “And senior people are tied up with gobbledegook such as DQF, which stands for Delivering Quality First. It’s about trying to make people feel better about their jobs being cut.”

The BBC brand has been damaged in its core area of excellence – news and current affairs. As it struggles to rebuild its reputation, it needs a radical change in its culture as well. More than that, the current meltdown must also force a rethink about the BBC’s whole future.

Instead of just wondering whether the top job should be split into that of director-general and editor-in-chief, it needs to look at whether it should pull out of providing some services that are already supplied by others. It needs to look again at how it copes with new technology that is making old-style televisions redundant. In an age when people can watch programmes on their mobiles and laptops, the BBC must ask how long the archaic idea of a compulsory licence fee – a tax – can be sustained. The answer to that last question must be that it cannot continue in its present form, complete with the threat of imprisonment for those who do not pay, for much longer.

This week, the BBC is celebrating its 90th anniversary. When the new director-general is appointed, the Newsnight scandal must be used as an opportunity for the kind of fundamental change that will ensure the future of what is still a much-loved institution, for the rest of the 21st century.

A MOST UNCIVIL SERVANT

Could Whitehall soon boast a veritable James Bond among its Sir Humphreys? It is taking an unwontedly long time to find a replacement for Dame Helen Ghosh, the former top civil servant at the Home Office, now at the National Trust. Asked if there had been plenty of good candidates applying, one insider replied gloomily: “Let’s just say there have been plenty of candidates.” Oh dear!

It seems too many people are being put off by Coalition attacks on the civil service – with senior officials complaining about being thanked by ministers in private and rubbished in public. Some are also bothered about working with Theresa May, the Home Secretary, who has a reputation for being abrasive with officials. Yet one man is unafraid. Charles Farr, a former spook from MI6, once described as a most “uncivil servant”, has applied for the job.

Earlier in his career, he is said to have flown round Afghanistan with thousands of US dollars in cash, paying farmers not to grow opium poppies – so definitely not your average bureaucrat. He was given an OBE for his work in the field, yet for years there was a ban on anyone naming him publicly, let alone showing his picture. Now, however, the sandy-haired, bespectacled Mr Farr has come out of the shadows and even appears in the Commons to be questioned by MPs.

Described as formidably bright, a “tough guy” with a strong personality and “very clear-cut views”, for the past five years he has headed the Home Office’s counter-terrorism drive. He was responsible for the controversial Prevent strategy, aimed at identifying potential Muslim extremists, and there is no doubt that he is keen on snooping. Whether he would cope as well with domestic policies and notions of accountability is a different matter.

Yet there are reports that Mrs May, she of the leopard-skin kitten heels, could prefer him to the rest in a dull field. He would liven up the Wednesday morning meetings of permanent secretaries. The question is whether he would prove a 002 Farr…